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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29727525">you will find me in places that we've never been</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/28sunflowers/pseuds/28sunflowers'>28sunflowers</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>One Direction (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Gender/Sexuality, Alien!Harry, Alternate Universe - Aliens, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Space, Blood and Injury, Crash Landing, Happy Ending, Hopeful Ending, M/M, Minor Injuries, Miscommunication, New Planets, Shapeshifting, Space pilot!Louis, Spaceships, Travelling on space, Yes Harry is green originally okay don't judge me</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 07:00:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,272</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29727525</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/28sunflowers/pseuds/28sunflowers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Harry got stranded on an orange planet with neverending days, hurt and stuck in a cave, he regretted travelling around the galaxy on his own. His mother’s voice rang in his ears, telling him to think about it a bit longer, to be more responsible and take a partner with him. But, of course, Harry had been too impatient to listen. He was paying the price for it, knowing that, as the hours passed by, his chances of surviving were getting lower.</p><p>Then, an earthling found him.</p><p>And his soulmark turned blue.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>100</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Louis' POV</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/venomedveins/gifts">devilinmybrain (venomedveins)</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For the prompt: alien!Harry with Louis finding him either on Earth or Louis crashes into his planet.</p><p>Hi, Jennifer! I know your prompt said they should meet on Earth or on Harry's planet but I made them meet on a third planet because... I clearly don't know how to follow prompts.<br/><strike>Also, I feel like I should tell you that I spent way too much time wondering how the s*x would work with their different anatomies. I didn't write down any of those thoughts, though, because I wouldn't want you to be scarred for life. You're welcome.</strike></p><p>Anyways, I hope you like it!<br/>Happy belated Valentine's day! ♥<br/>It was a pleasure to get you as my secret valentine for this exchange.</p><p>Oh, and a special shoutout to <a href="https://chrysopon.tumblr.com/">Rhei</a> for reading this and giving me feedback, you gave me the motivation I needed to get the fic finished and I'm super grateful ♥</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Louis grew up knowing about the existence of extraterrestrial life. He always knew life on Earth was limited to a minuscule part of what the universe had to offer. It was a fact, like fire emits heat or the sky is blue to most human eyes. Not many people on Earth had the same privilege. </p><p>His mom had been part of the first NASA group to encounter extraterrestrial life, which eventually became the pioneer government branch created to deal with all alien matters. Now, IRCA, or Intergalactic Research and Control Agency, is a top-secret, worldwide organization, made up of multiple academies and sectors of specialization.</p><p>Louis graduated as an aerospace engineer and then joined the space travel academy for training, wanting to follow his mom’s footsteps in some way. He was no scientist, but he wanted to, at least, have a hand in expanding the knowledge IRCA had on the galaxies and all its extraterrestrial life. </p><p>It didn’t take long until he became one of IRCA’s best spaceship pilots and, subsequently, responsible for their toughest travels, going farthest from Earth to try to find other planets and other forms of life. So, it wasn’t really out of the ordinary when, a week after he landed back on Earth from his last mission, he got called in again. </p><p>What was surprising was that the case file told him:</p>
<ul>
<li>It was a three-man mission, and Louis could choose two people to go with him;</li>
<li>The destination was a planet called Gullna, four solar systems away from Earth;</li>
<li>The mission was to bring a gullinn doctor to Earth, or at least come back with instructions on how to care for their injured. </li>
</ul><p>Attached were files documenting everything that had happened and the condition of the gullinn group stranded on Earth. Apparently, they had landed on Earth pretty harmed, alleging that an invisible force hit their ship, and none of IRCA’s available technology and knowledge had been useful to heal them. So their last resort was to find one of their doctors to guide them through whatever needed to be done. </p><p>It wasn’t Louis’ usual mission anymore, too short and with a too-small crew, but he shrugged it off. He was relieved by the easier job since his last one was quite intense, and his body and mind both needed a break. He had even been thinking about taking some of the accumulated days-off he had available, going somewhere nice with his mom and sisters for a well-deserved vacation. He might still do it after he comes back from the new mission. </p><p>Louis was instructed to leave as soon as possible, so he didn’t waste time going after Liam and Niall. Liam was specialized on the mechanical side of things, while Niall worked with magical objects and weird forms of healing — Louis didn’t presume to understand any of it. He missed his friends and the job was the perfect opportunity to spend time together while putting everyone’s skills to use, much like it required. Besides, Louis’ wouldn’t want to spend over a month in the small space their ship would provide with people he didn’t know.</p><p>So the day was spent in a rush of filling bureaucratic paperwork, packing and contacting family members to let them know that he was leaving again, as everything had to be sorted for them to take-off the next day. </p><p> </p><p>*****</p><p> </p><p>Almost two weeks into their otherwise uneventful trip filled with card games, the spaceship is hit by... an invisible force.</p><p>Louis curses himself for not taking the gullinn allegations more seriously, writing it off as just something they didn’t catch with their systems and trusting that IRCA’s one would. </p><p>The force interferes with a few of their propulsors and pulls them towards a pastel orange planet that’s close to them. When Louis realizes they won’t come out unscathed if he keeps pushing to get out of the force’s hold, he activates emergency landing protocols and, instead of fighting against the current, he goes with it. They land faster than he hoped for, making their internal electric panels shut off, but he breathes out a relieved sigh. Electrical damage can be fixed by Liam easily. He looks around and sees Niall and Liam safely seated in their places, not one scratch in sight, and that confirms the successful landing, at least for now. He knows how the gullinn came out from encountering the same force, so this definitely seems like an outcome in their favour. </p><p>“I’ll turn on the backup generator until I can fix the main one, so we can at least use the environmental and atmospheric reader to let us know if we can safely step out on the planet,” Liam tells them, efficiently moving towards the back of the ship. </p><p>Louis just nods, his heart still beating rapidly inside his chest. He takes off his seatbelt and leans closer to the glass window in front of him, analysing the scenery. </p><p>It looks like they landed on a sand desert of peachy colour, which seems to stretch beyond the horizon ahead of them. There are three huge stars shining in the sky, definitely closer to the planet than the Sun is in relation to Earth. Louis touches the window and realizes it’s already heating up, without temperature control from inside the spaceship. </p><p>“Liam,” Louis calls out, “We might need to prioritize the thermostat too.” </p><p>“Copy that!” Liam’s voice replies from the back. </p><p>Louis hears another seatbelt click and Niall joins him a few seconds later to watch the view. </p><p>“Do you think it was <em> seidr </em>that hit us?” Louis asks eventually. </p><p>“Didn’t feel like it specifically, no. But I wouldn’t rule it out as an option. It didn’t really feel like anything I can pinpoint. Maybe it was, like, a more violent type of gravity?”</p><p>Great. So they know absolutely nothing about the force. </p><p>“I read the gravity lines on the panel. The pull from the planet only started closer to it. I kept a safe distance.” Louis sighs and rubs his face. “You know that, right? I wouldn’t put us at risk by getting too close on purpose.” </p><p>“Of course, Tommo,” Niall frowns, “That’s not what I meant. It was a strange pull, and it felt too big to be an unaimed bout of <em> seidr </em> in space, you know? But also, you can never know the type of strength you will encounter in new planets.”</p><p>Louis hums.</p><p>“Do you think we strategically landed in the middle of a desert or are we just unluckily facing the desert part and there is a whole civilization behind us?” </p><p>“Oh, God,” Niall laughs, sounds more anxious than amused, “That’s the worst part of landing on an unknown planet. We can never know what to expect.” </p><p>Louis gives him a sympathetic squeeze on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Niall, if it was anything bad it would’ve knocked on our door already.” </p><p>“We should put the rest of our suits on, though, just in case.” </p><p>“Yeah,” Louis agrees, already moving towards the compartment holding the oxygen backpacks and every other addition to their suits, to make it possible to step onto almost any territory. </p><p>Louis and Niall are still sorting through the gadgets when the electrical panels come back on along with the air filtering and cooling systems. Louis moves to turn on the recognition feature and, in a few minutes, they finally get some answers. </p><p>They landed on a planet that their system identifies as Gulurrautt. It’s mostly composed of sand and they have no record of life there, though there should be some, given its atmospheric composition that’s similar to Earth’s own. The days and nights are approximately 200 hours long each, which is a little over 8 Earth days, and they have 130 hours until their suns set, plunging the side of the planet they are on in darkness and extreme coldness for another 8 Earth days. So, it’s not a great temperature drop to live through without appropriate clothing and shelter, but they still have time. They can get the ship up and running in 5 days. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Harry's POV</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Harry has been stuck inside this cave with pain shooting up his leg for around 4 days in Gullna, he guesses, even though the light coming from outside has yet to cease. </p><p>He had been, for the millionth time, cursing himself for being so eager to travel on his own that he dug his own demise when a loud crashing noise startled him. He felt one moment of guilt for being excited that someone crashed their spaceship, and possibly hurt themselves, but it didn’t stick, because Harry finally has a chance of being found and saved. </p><p>He calms down as time passes and nobody shows up. In the midst of the quiet stillness, he realizes his soulmark is pulsing harder than it ever has before, even when considering its increasing  fluttering intensity as he hopped from one planet to another. He looks to his wrist and, sure enough, the white drawing on his skin has turned dark green. </p><p>He finally is on the same planet as his soulmate. Or, more accurately, his soulmate just landed on the planet Harry is currently stranded in. </p><p>Then, after what feels like almost a whole gullinn day later, he hears steps and a distinct communicational sound coming from the cave’s entrance.</p><p>“<em>Hello!</em>” Harry shouts, trying to get the person’s attention. </p><p>It works and, soon enough, there is a being moving towards Harry. He speaks something ineligible, face features pinching as he spots Harry’s hurt ankle trapped by wires. </p><p>Harry watches him for a few seconds, trying to figure out what his type is. Then, he remembers the earthlings he has met before and almost wants to smack himself for not recognizing the person more easily. He closes his eyes and slowly starts transforming. It takes him longer than usual, given his weaker state, but he manages, and when he opens his eyes again, he looks down on a smaller body with light pinkish skin. Harry clears his throat, trying to remember how to communicate in this form. He has done it before, so he can only hope it doesn’t sound too bad even with the time without practice. </p><p>“Hello?” He says tentatively. </p><p>The earthling smiles sympathetically at him. “Hi, there. Are you a common shapeshifter?” </p><p>“Mixture of shapeshifter and <em> seidr </em>manipulator, the most common type in the gullinn population,” he explains slowly, carefully making the sounds he needs to put his ideas across.  </p><p>“Oh, you’re from Gullna? What a coincidence. That’s where I’m headed. I’m coming from Earth.” </p><p>Harry nods, “I recognized your earthling traces.” </p><p>“Can I come closer? So I can see if I can help with that.” The earthling points to Harry’s ankle.</p><p>“Yes, please.” Harry sits back to give the earthling more space. </p><p>He had forgotten about his soulmark pulsing against his skin until Louis touches his leg and suddenly it stops. Harry gasps before he can stop himself, making the earthling take his hand away from his skin in a haste. </p><p>“I’m sorry!” He apologizes. “Did I hurt you?” </p><p>Harry stares at him. His leg doesn’t hurt, but his heart does. There is an instant coldness enveloping Harry at the lack of recognition from his perfect other half. </p><p>He knows that earthlings don’t have soulmates like gullinns do. There are no soulmarks and physical reactions to encountering your soulmate. But still, he wishes the earthling had reacted to Harry in some way, to reciprocate the wind whirl of emotions suddenly crashing down on him. </p><p>He swallows through his dry throat. “No, sorry. I merely startled.” </p><p>“Are you sure?” The earthling asks sceptically. </p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Alright,” he concedes, moving to touch Harry’s leg again. The tension on his shoulders eases when Harry doesn’t react badly this time and he starts poking around. “So, what’s your name?” He asks conversationally as he moves to touch the system holding Harry hostage. </p><p>“My earthling name is Harry.” </p><p>“Do you have different names for each of your forms?” </p><p>“Not exactly. It is almost a translation of my gullinn name. It helps me not to accidentally mix the languages and their different phonetics,” Harry explains slowly, hoping he’s making sense to the earthling. When he only gets a hum and nod in response, the person minutely distracted by his ankle trap, Harry decides to move on from the topic. “What is your name?”</p><p>“I’m Louis, and I only have that one name,” the earthling — <em> Louis </em>, his brain provides — tells him with an amused smile. </p><p>“Louis,” Harry repeats, wanting to engrain the name to his mind. It’s a good name for his soulmate. It has a good translation in gullnic, too. </p><p>Louis sits back on his haunches. “How did you find yourself here?”</p><p>“A strange force interfered with my system and pulled my ship down from beyond the gravity line. I do not know what it was,” Harry answers unhelpfully. He wished he managed to come up with some theory about it in the past few days, but he didn’t. He had never seen an invisible force such as the one around this planet. </p><p>Louis seems to put something together and his eyes go wide open. “That wreckage not too far from the cave is your ship?” </p><p>“Unfortunately,” Harry sighs resignedly, “Did you crash as well?”</p><p>“Yes, but not as badly. I think we can get our ship up and running in a few days, maybe less if you can help,” Louis suggests.</p><p>Harry knows days are longer on Earth than on Gullna, but not nearly as long as they seem to be here. If this planet even has light cycles such as days. So only ‘a few days’ in Earth’s standard is great, it means they won’t be here for too long. </p><p>“I can, I am good with technology. Just not this article,” he points to the device holding him hostage. “It feels like <em> seidr </em> to me, but much more powerful than my own.” </p><p>Louis frowns down at it once again. “We’ll figure it out, hang on. Are there more around, do you think?” He asks, looking around the cave. </p><p>“I scanned the space as thoroughly as I could and I only found others deeper inside the cave.” Harry points towards the points where he is pretty sure there are other traps. “If you do not pass me, you should be safe.”</p><p>“Great. We will be careful either way. I’ll go get my friends, one of them is good with magical objects.” </p><p>“This is <em> seidr</em>, not magic,” Harry objects. </p><p>“Yeah, yeah, that’s what I meant. Be right back.” Louis tells him before jogging outside, leaving Harry alone once again. </p><p>He changes back to his gullinn form as soon as Louis steps out of the cave. It’s an irresponsible use of his constantly decreasing energy, but he has to check if he really did find his soulmate. He needs to know if he really just spent the past few minutes casually talking to the one person in the universe meant to be with him, without his counterpart knowing about the life-changing encounter they just had. </p><p>Harry takes a deep breath and looks down at his wrist once more. </p><p>His soulmark turned blue. </p><p> </p><p>*****</p><p> </p><p>It doesn’t take long before Louis comes back with another earthling, a bag and a mask for Harry. </p><p>“We can still breathe in the air normally because there’s a lot of oxygen in it, but there are some other elements that can be harmful to our bodies in the long run too. This will filter them out,” Louis explained as he showed Harry how to put the filtering gadget over his mouth and nose.</p><p>He only stays for a short period after that, quickly leaving Harry with his friend. Niall is chatty and efficient, quickly getting to work as he asks questions and tells Harry about Earth in exchange for his tales from Gullna. Harry absorbs as much as he can, eyeing with interest the device that Niall is using, which seems to keep a lot of information about <em> seidr </em> artefacts stored in it. Niall figures the trap out once he discovers it’s similar to some kind of Krallian object Harry has never seen before, and then promptly starts dismantling it. </p><p>The topic of conversation becomes lighter as Niall concentrates on his motions, so Harry tries subtly asking about Louis. It doesn’t get him much to go by besides the fact Louis is clearly well-liked and respected by his peers, a trustworthy colleague even though Niall’s words suggest that he is also known for being a troublemaker. Harry smiles, knowing full well that mischief and vileness don’t walk side by side. His soulmate seems like a complex, but ultimately genuine and admirable, person.</p><p>Harry is pondering on that little bit of information when the weight and pressure around his ankle disappears. </p><p>“Free at last!” Niall shouts in victory, making Harry giggle, both at his antics and in relief. </p><p>He moves his leg freely for the first time in a while, his body screaming in satisfaction at finally being released. Before Niall even finished packing his bag, the now disarmed trap in it, Harry starts pushing himself up, wanting urgently to be able to get off the cave. He loses his balance when pain shoots up his leg and through his spine when he tries stepping with his bad ankle, though, and Niall has to quickly grab him and hold him upright. </p><p>“Hold your horses, mate!” Niall chastises him. </p><p>“I am sorry,” Harry apologizes sheepishly, “I am anxious to get out of this place.” </p><p>“I can understand that, but an extra minute won’t kill you,” Niall mock-glares at him, making sure Harry is stable in his upright position before gathering the rest of his things into the black duffel bag. Soon enough he is back, fitting himself against Harry’s side to support him. “Let’s get you to the ship so we can take care of that ankle.” </p><p>“There is no need for that,” Harry reassures Niall as they make their way out of the cave, “I can heal myself once I replenish some of my energy.” </p><p>“You’re out of your mind if you think Louis and Liam won’t want to take a look and bandage you up.” </p><p>Harry is ready to use the opportunity to ask more about Louis, if he is some sort of healer as well as a pilot, but the sight of his spaceship’s wreckage stops him. He limps towards what used to be his ship with Niall, mourning its remains in silence for a minute.  </p><p>“We can come back to check if there’s anything salvageable later,” Niall tells him quietly when they pass near it.   </p><p>Harry nods but doesn’t reply. He is sure there is gonna be very little, if anything, to take from what once was his temporary home. </p><p>“How did you even come out unscathed from that?” Niall asks. </p><p>“I shifted into a phocallie. But I never met one and had only textbook images to base my change on, so I could not maintain it for more than a few minutes before having to shift back.”</p><p>Niall looks at him like he was telling the most amazing tale. “That’s awesome, Harry. I have so many questions about your shapeshifting, I’ll have to pick your brain later.” </p><p>Harry laughs softly, using Niall’s enthusiasm to distract himself. “I will be happy to answer all your questions,” he tells Niall, amused that someone is interested in something that is so common for him. </p><p>They get close to the earthling spaceship. It’s quite different from Harry’s own. It's not too much bigger, which makes him wonder how they lived in such a small space for the trip from Earth, but the metals used are of a type Harry doesn’t recognize and there are no traces of <em> seidr </em> in the functioning systems, just an electrical current humming through its form. He tilts his head, trying to get a better reading on it, but his attempt is cut short by Louis’ voice. </p><p>“Niall, take him inside. I already got the medkit out.” Louis calls out from where he is looking over what seems like some sort of motor to Harry, with another person next to him. </p><p>Niall helps him up into the ship and they step directly into a small chamber. After the door behind them closes, there is a loud beep followed by a strong current of wind that lasts for a few seconds. Then, the door in front of them opens, making way for the rest of the ship. </p><p>As soon as the second door closes behind them, Niall takes off his mask and motions for Harry to do the same. </p><p>“You don’t need it inside,” he explains, before pointing towards a table circled by a padded seat. “Sit, please.” </p><p>Harry follows his instructions without question, too busy taking in the inside of the ship. It seems like they’ve stepped into a small communal room, the wall opposite to the entrance door filled with compartments with multiple different labels. He doesn’t identify the drawings, and the only one he can infer is the little blue drop, which he guesses has water. </p><p>He hears the entrance chamber going off again and, soon enough, Louis joins Niall and him. He takes off his mask and Harry doesn’t even attempt to hide the fact he is watching. </p><p>His soulmate is… beautiful. Harry never particularly thought about earthlings as possible partners, never even played with the idea of finding them attractive or not. He just took their stature as a fact, without any deeper analysis. But now, he is seeing them through different lenses. He is very aware of all the ways in which Niall and Louis are different, and how much he is pleased by it, favouring Louis’ complexion. Just looking at him makes Harry’s insides flutter. Pressure builds in his chest and Harry doesn’t know what to do with it. He has the intense need to reach out to Louis, to touch him, even though he knows he can’t. </p><p>“Hey, there! Welcome to our ship! It’s not much, but at least it’s better than that cave floor, right?” </p><p>Harry’s brain melts hearing Louis’ voice. It is even sweeter without his mask on, making goosebumps rise on Harry’s skin. He can’t believe he is having such visceral, physical reactions to Louis’ presence, while the earthling remains completely oblivious to the fact he is standing right in front of his soulmate. </p><p>Harry tries smiling friendly. “Yeah.”</p><p>“Let me take care of that,” Louis says, nodding towards Harry’s injury. He takes a white box with a red cross on it and swiftly sits by Harry’s feet, taking his hurt ankle and settling it on one of his thighs. </p><p>Harry remains still, not understanding what is happening but not wanting to interrupt and end up accidentally pushing Louis away. He quietly watches as Louis rummages through the box and picks things out until there is a small collection of items lined up next to his leg. Louis takes a piece of cloth and wets it with one of the clear liquids, then looks back up at Harry. </p><p>“It will sting a little bit,” he warns Harry before getting a hold of his foot with one hand and slowly dabbing the wet cloth on Harry’s ankle with the other. </p><p>Harry flinches when the liquid makes contact with his open wound. It burns, but, as Louis said, it’s not too bad. Harry relaxes again, getting used to the feeling. The cloth gets progressively dirtier with dirt and blood until Louis discards it and restarts the process with a new one. He cleans Harry’s ankle with precision, movements laced with tenderness as if not to hurt Harry even further. Harry’s heart feels like it could burst with all the emotions building up inside him. </p><p>His soulmate is so kind, rescuing a stranger and taking care of him so gently, without a second thought. Harry is in awe that the universe thought he was worthy enough to be paired with such a wonderful being. </p><p>He is entranced by the way Louis carefully wraps his ankle up in yet another type of cloth, firm but not constricting. When Louis looks up at him with a soft smile, Harry’s breath almost hitches. </p><p>“You’re all done, Kermit,” Louis tells him. </p><p>“Thank you.” </p><p>“No problem,” Louis says as he starts putting things back into the white box and piling up the dirty items. “Would it help with the healing if you changed back to your gullinn form?” He asks. </p><p>“I do not think it would,” Harry answers honestly, “I don’t use <em> seidr </em> energy to maintain any form, just to transform.” </p><p>“But does the gullinn form heal faster naturally?” Louis presses.  </p><p>“I do not know. How long does it take for an earthling body to heal?” </p><p>“A lot, we’re fragile in comparison to, like, the average species in the universe,” Louis shrugs, “It will take maybe a month for your ankle to fully heal, but you should be able to walk more normally in about a week.” </p><p>Harry would take the same amount of time in his gullinn form, but considering that days on Gullna are shorter than on Earth, this means he would heal faster in gullinn form. </p><p>“My gullinn form would take less time, then. But I can use my <em> seidr </em> to speed up the process. I will get the worst of it out of the way before we take-off from this planet.” </p><p>“Alright,” Louis nods, even if he doesn’t look entirely convinced, “it’s your call, but feel free to stay in whichever form you want around us. We don’t spook easily.” </p><p>“I will keep that in mind.” </p><p>“Now,” Louis says as he stands up, “you’re probably hungry and tired. Let’s go find you some food and a bed.”</p><p>Eating and sleeping sound perfect, and he tells Louis so. Harry needs to recharge his energies if he wants to heal properly and to help the earthlings fix their spaceship in time. He won’t need much, but a few hours of resting will surely do him wonders.</p><p>Louis puts the box and trash away, takes a few items from a couple of compartments in the wall and then asks Harry to follow him. The room behind them is a narrow hallway. The walls are more compartments up until waist height and, on top of them, there are two sets of beds on each side. Louis goes straight to the bed with items piled up on it and starts throwing them towards another one.</p><p>“Sorry,” Louis apologizes, looking sheepish. “The boys and I were using the fourth one to store our mess. We will put everything away later.”</p><p> </p><p>Louis helps him up into the bunk because of Harry’s bad ankle, and he sits with his legs hanging over the side. Louis hands him the items he had gathered in the common room: two small rectangular packages and a vial. </p><p>“These are very nutritious and sustaining,” he points to the first two items, and then to the last one “and this is potable water.” </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Louis.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No problem. I’ll see you later, yeah?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You will,” Harry confirms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis nods and turns to leave Harry alone, pointing out a button by the door and explaining to Harry that it turns off the lights as he makes his way out. </span>
</p><p><span>As Harry munches on the sweet-tasting nutritional bars by himself, he</span> thinks of how much Louis, Niall and Liam are doing for him. Harry will have to make a point repaying, at the very least, in giving them as much help with repairs as he can. He will have to see how arduous the work is, but if necessary he can postpone using his <em> seidr </em> for healing for a few days, or until they are in space and, most probably, with little to do until they arrive in Gullna. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Louis' POV</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A week later, they are once again off ground and partaking on the second half of their uneventful trip to Gullna. The four of them are sitting around the common room and Louis is bored out of his mind. Liam is reading a book, while Niall looks like a kid on Christmas morning as he listens to Harry explain gullinn physiology and shapeshifting to him. </p><p>Louis stops to watch the scene. For as unexpected as it was to find Harry in Gulurrautt, he seems to fit perfectly well in their small crew dynamic. Louis himself is growing to cherish Harry’s company, even sometimes favouring it in relation to Niall and Liam, who aren’t as patient with Louis as Harry can be. It might be a fluke, a ‘new person trying to be polite to everyone’ thing, but Louis has a feeling it isn’t – Harry seems like a truly calm and attentive person. Or alien. Alien-person. </p><p>“What do you mean ‘soulmate’?” Niall shouts in the small space, bringing Louis out of his thoughts.</p><p>Even Liam looks up from his book, perking up at the topic Niall and Harry are discussing. It looks like it’s gonna become a group thing, so Louis walks towards Harry, dropping down on the seat next to him and hooking an arm around his shoulders. </p><p>“What are you two talking about?” He asks, interested because, if it got Liam’s attention away from his reading, it must be fascinating. </p><p>“Harry said he has been travelling because of his soulmate!” Niall tells them excitedly. “Apparently they are a thing in Gullna!”</p><p>Louis raises his eyebrow. Soulmates? “Is that right, Beast Boy?”</p><p>“Yes,” Harry confirms but doesn’t look at Louis. He remains frigid under Louis’ embrace, eyes set on Niall. Louis wonders if this is a private topic of discussion for gullinn and, for a second, he wants to stop the soulmate talk, but Niall doesn’t seem to catch on to Harry’s discomfort. </p><p>“How do you find them?” </p><p>Harry squirms a little bit, but answers. “We are all born with a mark. It changes colour and pulses in different frequencies to indicate proximity.” </p><p>“C’mon, Harry! You have to give us more than that!” </p><p>Louis decides to step in at Harry’s reluctance to tell them more details. He holds a hand up to signal Niall to calm down. “We understand if it’s personal,” he tells Harry quietly.  </p><p>Harry finally looks at Louis and gives him a weak smile. “I don’t mind telling,” he reassures Louis before turning back to Niall, “Every gullinn is born with a mark on our skin that matches one in the body of our soulmate.” Harry shows his wrist, where his blue anchor tattoo is. “They have different colours. Dark green indicates you are on the same planet as your soulmate. White, they are somewhere else. I was born with a white marking.” </p><p>“Yours is blue, though?” Liam notes the obvious. </p><p>“The mark changes to a different colour once you meet your soulmate.” </p><p>Oh, wow. Harry has a soulmate. </p><p>“That’s awesome! How did you two meet?” </p><p>“Oh my God, Harry! Where are they from?” </p><p>“Why didn’t you tell us about them sooner?” </p><p>The spaceship goes quiet once Liam, Niall and Louis realize they were speaking over each other. Harry looks like he is absorbing all the questions, blinking slowly, so they give him some time. In the end, Harry answers only one thing. </p><p>“It is a very recent development. My mark changed colour only a bit over a week ago.” </p><p>The sentence is quiet inside the spaceship, but it feels loud and huge. Louis has no clue what to make of it, and, apparently, Niall and Liam don’t either. Louis furrows his eyebrows, trying to understand what Harry just admitted to. Who has Harry met beside them in the past week? Could it be that Liam or Niall are Harry’s soulmate? Louis looks down at his hands and his eyes widen in realization. </p><p>No way.</p><p>Louis’ heart starts beating erratically and he closes his eyes, taking a deep breath to try to calm it down. When he opens them again, Niall and Liam are nowhere to be seen and Harry is watching him with sad, but sympathetic, eyes. </p><p>“I am sorry. I did not mean to overwhelm you like this, but I also did not wish to lie about such an important matter.” </p><p>“That’s okay,” Louis reassures him on instinct before he can stop himself. It’s not really okay, but he can’t blame Harry, who had his hands tied by the circumstances they find themselves in. “I… shit, Harry, I don’t know what to say. I never imagined being in a situation in my life, even in my wildest dreams.”</p><p>“I understand it must be a big shock to you. Even I did not know earthlings could be soulmates with gullinn, since your body is not capable of creating a spontaneous soulmark. Which raises the question…” Harry doesn’t finish his sentence, and when Louis looks at his face, he realizes he must be waiting for a signal from Louis indicating that he can continue. </p><p>“You can ask.” </p><p>“Were you born with your mark?”</p><p>“No,” Louis shakes his head vehemently. He thinks back to how he always felt like he needed to get the tattoo of a rope on his wrist, specifically. He remembers how weirdly satisfied he felt when he finally got it done. The restlessness that accompanied him through his life up until then had settled almost immediately, and he never really understood why. “I always had a strange instinct telling me to get this exact tattoo. Now it makes sense.” </p><p>“Tattoo?” Harry asks, intrigued. </p><p>“A permanent ink drawing,” he explains. </p><p>“Do you know what my design is? I can tell yours is a rope, but mine has always been a mystery to me.” </p><p>Louis smiles in his direction. Harry’s cluelessness to such a basic item on Earth is endearing, but also scary. It’s a glaring reminder that they come from extremely different worlds. </p><p>“It’s an anchor,” Louis tells him simply. When Harry starts frowning, he realizes Harry doesn’t know what an anchor is, so he needs a proper explanation, not just a name. “We have a type of transport on Earth, called boats or ships, that floats on water. When they need to station themselves, they drop an anchor,” he points to Harry’s soulmark, then to his own, “held by a rope, to the ground. Like that, they don’t float away from their spot with the current.” </p><p>Harry takes a second to absorb Louis’ explanation, so Louis waits for him. He looks thoughtful, and a little bit starry-eyed, if Louis is reading his expressions correctly. </p><p>“That’s poetic,” Harry concludes. </p><p>Louis lets out a chuckle under his breath. It <em> is </em>poetic. The universe is putting them together and telling them they ground each other, they are meant to be together because, without the other, they are incapable of fulfilling their purpose in life. </p><p>For someone who has always been as independent as Louis, the notion feels like a punch to the gut. </p><p>“Harry, I know we have a lot to talk about, but can I have a little time to myself? Just to…” Louis drifts off, trying to find the words not to hurt Harry, or make him feel rejected. “Absorb… and process all of this.”</p><p>“Yes, of course!” Harry stands up abruptly, and Louis wonders if he also needs time to wrap his head around Louis’ reaction to the big reveal. He awkwardly steps closer to the back room, where surely Niall and Liam are pretending not to hear them. “I will be with the others,” he tells Louis and quickly moves out of the communal space.  </p><p>Louis lets out a long breath as a wave of guilt hits him. Harry probably looked forward to meeting his soulmate, it must be a great celebration in Gullna. And now Harry isn’t having a joyful moment out of it. Instead, he is stuck with a distraught human who didn’t even know soulmates existed until half an hour ago. </p><p>There is so much for them to talk about. Louis needs to know what expectations Harry has from him, so he can know where to draw the line and not let him keep his hopes up. He needs to figure out what he is willing to give Harry. He can’t move to another planet in the galaxy, leaving his family and friends and life behind. He can’t even live completely free of technological support in Gullna, given his body’s restraints. He can’t give Harry a married life right from the get-go, if that’s what it means to be soulmates in the gullinn culture. But he can go on dates with Harry, he can put in effort so they can get to know each other and he can try his best to understand Harry’s culture and traditions.</p><p>Even willing to work on their future relationship, Louis can’t guarantee he will succeed. He has never had a long-lasting boyfriend before, and it’s for good reason. He sucks at commitment and he knows it. But this time, if Louis messes this up, it won’t be with a random boyfriend who doesn’t like that he can’t explain his job or that he has to go on months-long journeys sometimes. This is his one shot at getting it right with the one being in the universe that was made to be with him. </p><p>It’s possibly one of the scariest concepts Louis has ever had to face in his lifetime.</p><p>Before he can spiral out of control, Louis goes to the pilot cabin. He locks the partition behind himself and sits on the command chair, pulling out the communication set. He disks their London base and, when answered, he asks to be transferred to his mom’s line. When the first ring sounds, he realizes it could be the middle of the night on Earth. He should’ve looked the time up before calling, what if his mom – </p><p>“Hey, Lou, how is the trip going?” Jay’s voice sounds through the system. </p><p>Louis breathes out in relief. “Oh, hi, mom! It’s okay. We had a little detour in Gulurrautt but we’re ten days away from Gullna now. I should be back home in six weeks if there are no other unexpected diversions.”</p><p>“I heard about that, got me right worried. I’m glad you’re back on track now.” </p><p>“Yeah, me too,” Louis agrees. It was never fun to crash into an unknown planet. “How are things back at home?”</p><p>“Utterly normal. The girls are all fine. They will be happy to know I heard from you.”</p><p>Louis lets himself smile thinking of his sisters. He misses the little menaces when he’s away for a while. “Tell them I say hi, please.” </p><p>“Will do.”</p><p>There is a few seconds of silence, during which Jay clearly waits for Louis to speak, but he can’t make himself start. He bites his lips, wondering if maybe he shouldn’t be telling his mom about Harry before he even knows if they’re gonna give the soulmate thing a try. Besides, telling his mom about his recent life developments will make things more real and, even inside the privacy of his command room, it’s hard to face his situation and his fears. </p><p>Jay eventually breaks his bubble. “Well, I’m glad to hear from you but is there a specific reason why you’re calling me at one in the morning from space?” </p><p>“Oh, shit, mom, sorry,” Louis apologizes. He knew he messed up by calling without checking the time. He should’ve ended the call before his mom picked up. “I didn’t look at the time before calling.” </p><p>“You know I don’t mind,” Jay retorts easily. “My line was open, wasn’t it? Now, tell me what’s wrong.” </p><p>“Nothing is wrong, exactly…” Louis lets out a long breath, stalling for a few more seconds. </p><p>“Louis, what happened, darling?” Jay prods gently when he doesn’t continue. </p><p>“Mom, I know this is going to sound crazy, but please bear with me,” he tells her and waits for an affirmative noise before continuing, “I met my soulmate.” </p><p>“Oh?” </p><p>“Yeah, and, like, that’s insane right? We crashed our ship on a random planet I haven’t even heard of before and — wait,” Louis cuts himself off when his brain tardily processes Jay’s tone. “You’re not surprised. Why aren’t you surprised?” </p><p>“I had a hypothesis.” </p><p>Louis splutters. “What do you mean? How?” </p><p>“It’s not common for a child to insistently talk about getting a rope tattooed on their wrist, and then immediately get it done once they turn eighteen.” </p><p>Louis sits gobsmacked for a second. How does his mom always figure out everything before him? </p><p>“Why didn’t you tell me?” He questions her. It seems like an important issue to address with your son. It would be nice to have a warning that he might meet his soulmate at some point in his life. </p><p>“I didn’t know for sure, Lou. I couldn’t get your hopes up, or tie you down to the idea, only for it not to be true.” </p><p>That… makes sense. But still. </p><p>“Mom, this is crazy.” </p><p>“Oh, Lou, there are things you can’t fight against. Tell me about them.” </p><p>“He…” Oh. Louis had been considering Harry as a man up until now, but doesn’t know that, does he? He doesn’t even know how genders work in Gullna. There is another topic to talk to Harry about. “<em>Their </em>human name is Harry. They are from Gullna.” </p><p>“That’s practical! Are they staying in human form around you?” </p><p>“Yeah, ever since we met.” </p><p>“Does he have a rope on his wrist too?”</p><p>Louis smiles. It’s hard not to find it both funny and endearing that he and his soulmate have matching nautical tattoos. It’s such a huge clichê.” </p><p>“An anchor,” he corrects her. </p><p>“Very fitting.” </p><p>“It is. I had to explain what an anchor was to him, though,” he tells her, remember in amusement how confused Harry was with his own soulmark. </p><p>“Oh, the poor boy! Growing up not knowing what his soulmark even was.” </p><p>Well, Louis hadn’t thought of that. He has been too lost inside his own head that he didn’t realize how hard it must’ve been for Harry to have a human as a soulmate beyond the surprise factor. Did he grow up wondering what species he’d be matched with? Did he see the other’s easily recognizable soulmarks and got sad that his other half could be anywhere in the galaxy? Did he get frustrated over not recognizing a drawing on his own skin? </p><p>“Louis?” Jay breaks him out of his musings.  </p><p>“Yeah, sorry, I’m here,” Louis shakes himself of those worries… for now. “I was just thinking.” </p><p>“Want to share?”</p><p>He doesn’t really, but he can count on his mom to be one of the only people in the world who wouldn’t judge him for his thoughts. </p><p>“How is this even gonna work, mom?” He asks, hoping she has some sort of light to guide him. “Intergalactic distance relationship between a human and an alien from completely different cultures. It can’t possibly work out.”</p><p>“Well, I don’t know the answer to that. What I do know is that brooding on your own won’t help. Those are issues you and Harry need to solve together, talk it out.” </p><p>Figures. Louis has to face things and have a meaningful conversation with Harry. </p><p>“I’m not <em>brooding</em>,” he replies to the only part of her speech he feels at ease addressing. </p><p>Jay laughs. “Oh, Lou, just go talk to your soulmate. Earlier rather than later, please.” </p><p>“Yes, mom,” he promises.</p><p>“Alright. I’ll go to bed now, darling.” </p><p>“‘Night, mom. Love you.” </p><p>“I love you too. Stay safe,” Jay says and then disconnects the call. </p><p>Louis takes his headset out and leans back against his chair. He looks out into the infinite black filled with floating stars and other cosmic objects and thinks of how small and insignificant he is in the grand schemes of the universe. Yet, it decided to give him, a little unnoticeable human, a soulmate. Is that even fair to Harry? Does Louis deserve it? </p><p>Or better yet: does any of that matter? </p><p>Louis groans and hides his face in his hands, not wanting to see outside anymore. He closes his eyes and enjoys the nothingness behind his eyelids. He knows he is overthinking everything, and that if he only walked out to the sleeping dorm he’d have his answers by arm’s reach. But it’s hard to make his legs move. </p><p>He can stay right where he is for a few more minutes. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Harry's POV</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Harry walks into the sleep room, Niall and Liam go quiet. It annoys him a little bit because it is obvious that they were talking about him, but it is welcome nonetheless. He sits down on his bunk bed with his back against the wall and lets his eyes drift close. The silence in the room at least allows Harry to sit alone with his own thoughts and wallow in self-pity for a while. </p><p>He knows the whole revelation to Louis went as well as he could’ve expected it to, given their unusual circumstance. Did he wish Louis would miraculously get excited about being destined to be with Harry? Yes, he can admit that he did indeed. Who can blame him? He has been looking forward to meeting his soulmate for his entire life, and he never considered it not being a euphoric moment. But Harry knows it’s not a realistic thing to wish for. It is entirely reasonable that Louis needs some time to adjust to the idea that the universe fated him to spend the rest of his life with a being of another race. Even more so when considering that Louis didn’t even know soulmates existed up until the moment he found out he has one. </p><p>Yet, all the logic in the galaxy didn’t stop Harry from being upset and frustrated about it. The negative emotions piled up inside his chest ever since Louis didn’t recognize him inside that cursed cave in Gulurrautt. And with every interaction between them without any acknowledgement from Louis that they’re literally perfect for each other, Harry’s sadness grew. He tried his best to mask it up around Louis, but he couldn't live in denial and fool himself forever. So, really, he should’ve expected to be hurt when Louis didn’t react, once again, as he hoped for. He should’ve, but he didn’t. He kept making the same mistake of letting his expectations run too high, and he had no one to blame but himself. </p><p>Harry startles when his bed dips under a new weight. He barely manages to open his eyes before he gets an armful of Niall hugging him. He hugs back tentatively, confused by the actions but not having the energy to fight back. </p><p>Liam joins them on Harry’s bed right after, sitting by Harry's foot and patting his leg in what Harry thinks is some sort of comforting motion to the earthlings. </p><p>“Just give him some time, mate, I’m sure Louis will come around,” Liam tells him quietly. </p><p>“Tommo can be a bit stubborn and resistant at first but he is a softie at heart,” Nialls complements as he adjusts his position so he is sitting more comfortably against Harry. “I bet he can be super romantic with the right person. Which you are, because the universe literally made you for each other.” </p><p>Harry thinks it’s an odd reassurance to make. Louis seems like a very caring person, generally. So why would his friends feel the need to tell Harry that he can be <em>soft </em>or <em>romantic</em>? He never doubted any of that in the first place. It doesn’t mean Louis wants to, specifically, be like that with him. From what Harry gathers, humans don’t really believe that the universe decides their future. Instead, they go through a test and trial period of mutually choosing their life partner. </p><p>He almost wants to question them but decides against it. The earthlings have been very kind, trying to uplift Harry’s mood somehow.  </p><p>“Thank you, friends. I appreciate your words of support.” </p><p>“Of course, you’re one of us now.” </p><p>“We take care of our own.”</p><p>Harry smiles. Earthlings are very sociable beings, and it's quite nice to be part of one of their affection groups.  </p><p>Liam adjusts himself so he is sitting closer to Harry too and, then, they all start talking on his bed. Harry is thankful for the distraction, and to the universe for not only putting Louis on his path, but also these two wonderful earthlings who saw an alien in distress and decided to take his mind off his worries. </p><p>Niall tells Harry about this one guy Liam has a “crush” on, which leads to bickering between them as Harry giggles at their silliness and then to an explanation about what a “crush” is for Harry’s sake, because he had no clue what they had been talking about. He gets a better insight into the whole “dating” process and asks questions, which are promptly answered with many stories of failures as examples. Harry almost forgets about his troubles until there is a knock on the door separating the sleep room and the communal space of the ship. </p><p>Louis’ head pokes in. “You are all being very loud! What’s this about?”</p><p>“I was just about to tell Harry about that one time Liam went on a date with Steve from the Chem Program at the academy and he ended up with a broken arm.” </p><p>“Oh my God, Niall!” Liam exclaims exasperatedly. </p><p>Harry laughs again. For how impractical the whole concept of dating seems to be, it also appears to be quite fun and it yields a lot of entertaining stories. He wouldn’t mind if Louis wanted to go through this… selection process with him. It would be better than nothing, at the very least, but it could also be a very enjoyable bonding experience for them. It might make Louis decide in favour of being romantically involved with Harry and building a life together as a couple. </p><p>Louis watches amusedly as Liam and Niall shove each other but soon steps in closer and clears his throat, getting everyone's attention on him. Not like Harry’s had been anywhere else since Louis appeared at the door, but Niall and Liam were clearly engrossed with one another. </p><p>“So,” Louis says pointedly, giving his friends an intense look Harry is not privy to. “Can you two untangle yourselves from Harry and take the puppy pile to another bed?” </p><p>Niall and Liam scramble to comply with Louis’ request. </p><p>“I’m quite hungry –,” </p><p>“I need to check something in the command room –,” </p><p>They both speak over each other as they hastily leave the room, closing the door behind them with a soft click. </p><p>Then, Harry is alone with Louis.</p><p>He pulls his body up to sit straight against the wall again, watching Louis closely. He seems anxious, which is worrisome. He would be apprehensive to talk to Harry if he had good news, right? </p><p>“Can I sit?” Louis asks, pointing to the space near Harry on his bed. </p><p>Harry nods. “Of course.”</p><p>Louis sits down, tentatively smiling at Harry, so he retributes the action. They sit there for a few seconds, until Louis sighs and looks Harry in the eyes. </p><p>“Listen, Harry. I’m sorry I didn’t have the best reaction and fled for a while.” </p><p>“You do not have to apologize –,” </p><p>“I do.” Louis interrupts him firmly. “I know it hurt you, so I’m sorry.” </p><p>“I forgive you,” Harry tells him, then. If apologizing means something important to Louis, then he may do it. But Harry won’t hold unnecessary grudges against his soulmate. </p><p>“Thank you. I want to explain myself, if that’s alright?”</p><p>“Is it.” </p><p>“Well, Niall and Liam probably told you all about dating and that stuff on Earth?” Louis asks, sounding unsure about his assumption. </p><p>“They told me some,” Harry agrees. He doesn’t know how much it all meant towards the true dating process because their tales might’ve been biased somehow. But he has certain previous knowledge too, from his understanding of the dynamic between an earthling couple he met years ago, so he should be fine for now. </p><p>“So you understand how different it is from having a soulmate and only being with them during your whole life and basically just moving in together from the get-go, right?” </p><p>Harry frowns at that. Was Louis under the impression Harry didn’t understand how different their traditions were and that they’d need to be malleable and adapt around one another? “Of course, Louis. I considered many cultural differences between my soulmate and me. I grew up with a full understanding of what it meant to have a white soulmark. I do not presume that you will blindly follow my customs.” </p><p>“Oh,” Louis breathes out, seemingly stunned. </p><p>Harry opens his mouth to protest, because why did Louis think he wouldn’t be accepting and reconciling? </p><p>But before he can get the words out, Louis speaks up again. </p><p>“I’m sorry, Harry. I –,”</p><p>“Please stop apologizing,” Harry insists. </p><p>Louis falls quiet and they go back to watching one another. Harry feels the seed of annoyance that had popped at the back of his mind dissolve as he breathes through the feeling. They can easily sort this all out, there is no need to let his temper get the best of such ridiculous oversights from both sides of their story. Communication will be a key aspect of their relationship. </p><p>“Any misunderstandings of the past can be solved by talking from now on,” he says eventually. </p><p>Louis nods vehemently. “Yes. Yes. I won’t make any more assumptions about you.”</p><p>“Thank you. I won’t either,” Harry concedes easily.</p><p>Louis smiles, then straightens up, looking more confident. His presence in the room grows as he reaches for one of Harry’s hands and holds it between his. </p><p>“I want to give us a try. I can’t deny that something inside of me feels right when you are around. And I’d be the biggest idiot in the galaxy if I passed up the chance of living a love that the universe itself made for me,” Louis speaks as he plays with Harry’s fingers. “But it’s all very new and scary for me. So, can we take it slow?”</p><p>Louis isn’t rejecting him. </p><p>Harry almost can’t believe his own ears. He can feel his shoulders dropping as some of the tension leaves his body. He breathes out a long breath, engulfed by joy and relief.</p><p>“I can accept whatever pace you set for our relationship development,” Harry promises. And he means it. He truly doesn’t mind it. “But, just so there are no more misconceptions between us. What do you mean by it, exactly?”</p><p>Louis chuckles but bites his lips to stop it. Harry follows the movement with his eyes, once more acutely aware of how attractive Louis is to him. He is still not used to it, considering the earthling anatomy. </p><p>“What I mean is…” Louis starts speaking, which makes Harry stop staring and move his gaze back up. He finds Louis’ eyes shining in amusement. “Harry, do you want to go out on a date with me?”</p><p>There is that word again. </p><p>“You want to go to a romantic meeting to learn more about me as a prospective partner even though we already know each other?” </p><p>Louis laughs at that. </p><p>“Exactly,” he confirms.</p><p>Well, that sounds like a good place to start, given their situation. They will be able to sort out the issues concerning their possible dynamics as a couple. Harry will have his chance to prove to Louis how wonderfully they would work together. Because they would. The universe is never wrong about those things. </p><p>“I’d love to.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello, if you got here, thank you for reading my fic! I hope you liked it!<br/>Please leave kudos and comments to make me happy ♥</p><p>Also, if you wouldn't mind, help me spread the fic by reblogging the <a href="https://vintageumbroshirt.tumblr.com/post/644331119672737792/this-fic-is-a-gift-for-thedevilinmybrain-happy">tumblr post</a>?</p></blockquote></div></div>
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